Large machinery or equipment fitted with fuel tanks is often equipped with a fast fill system to enable rapid filling of large capacity fuel tanks. Some of these systems have a fast fuel valve mounted or associated with the fuel container that permits rapid filling of the fuel container and also a breather valve that permits air to be vented from the container as it fills. The breather valve may also function to reduce the chances of over filling of the container and/or over pressurising of the container during filling. These rapid filling systems are often broken down into non-pressure systems or pressure systems. These fast fuel systems are often used in dusty environments such as a mining site where the introduction of unwanted dirt or other unwanted materials into the system may create problems with the function of the breather valve, the flow valve, and/or other components of the system as well as contaminating the fuel or other liquids being used.
These fast fuel systems typically function by use of a flow control valve that allows a fuel container to rapidly be filled but also have safety features to reduce the chances of over filling the tank, prevent the buildup of pressure within the tank during and after filling, and/or prevent spilling of the fuel. The flow control valve may also prevent the fuel supply nozzle from being overridden, thus preventing the possibility of overfilling. The flow control valve is usually used in conjunction the with breather valve that is used to determine when the level of fuel in the fuel tank is at a desired level. When the desired level of fuel has been attained, the breather valve communicates with the flow control valve to stop the flow of fuel into the container.
One concern with existing systems is as air is vented from the container during filling or when air is drawn back into the system as the fuel is used up, exhaust and/or unwanted dirt and other unwanted materials may be introduced into the container and/or into the components of the fast fuel system. This may cause operational problems and/or reduce the life of certain components of the system. In addition, unwanted particles may also get into the fuel injection system or engine and cause problems with the functioning of the equipment. Unscheduled down time with such equipment is expensive and to be avoided if possible. For example, if unwanted particulates get into the breather valve, then the breather valve may malfunction and this may result in the fuel tank over filling, becoming over pressurised which can potentially cause the container to rupture and/or the spilling of fuel. Another concern is that the breather valve often has an air filter associated with it to filter out unwanted particles during air intake. However, this filter may become clogged prematurely as air containing unwanted particles is exhausted from the container, fuel foams or surges into the filter or combinations thereof. This can prematurely shorten the useful life of the filter. Despite the fact that these fast fueling systems are often used in dusty environments, it is desirable to prevent and/or reduce the introduction of unwanted particles and/or unfiltered air into the system.
One advantage to the present disclosure is the valve assembly portion of the breather valve is configured to open during the filling of the container to allow the displaced exhaust to pass out of the container via an exhaust route but not through the air filter associated with the valve assembly. Another advantage is that after filling of the container, the valve assembly does not allow (or reduces the potential for) unfiltered air and unwanted particles to be drawn into and to contaminate the system. Another advantage is that as air is drawn back into the container via a breather check valve, the air is filtered and only enters (or substantially only enters) the container via a filtered route associated with the valve assembly. Another advantage of the present disclosure is that the valve assembly disclosed herein may be retrofitted to certain existing breather valves (or float control valves). Accordingly, devices, systems, methods of retrofitting, and methods of use for solving these and other problems are desirable. The present disclosure is directed to overcome and/or ameliorate at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art as will become apparent from the discussion herein.